World Athletics Championships returns to Beijing in 2027

The World Athletics Council has selected Beijing, China, to host the 2027 World Athletics Championships.

The decision was made at the 234th World Athletics Council Meeting, held in Glasgow ahead of the World Athletics Indoor Championships (1-3 March).

The 2027 World Athletics Championships will welcome the sport’s biggest stars back to Beijing, 12 years on from the Chinese capital’s successful staging of athletics’ flagship event and almost two decades on from the Beijing Olympic Games.

China will also host next year’s World Athletics Indoor Championships, in Nanjing.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said: “Congratulations to Beijing on their successful bid to host the World Athletics Championships in 2027, 12 years after our athletes lit up the National Stadium for the 15th edition of our global showpiece.

“With a population of more than 1.4 billion, China is one of the biggest sports markets in the world. It was the top performer for Wanda Diamond League broadcast consumption in 2023 with a cumulative audience of 368.9 million. This poses a massive opportunity to grow our sport and fan base in one of the biggest commercial markets in the world.

“With the announcement of China as our next host, our last four World Athletics Championships have now been awarded to the world’s four largest economies; the USA (Oregon), the EU (Budapest), Japan (Tokyo), and China (Beijing).”

Wang Nan, World Athletics Council Member and Vice President of the Chinese Athletics Association (CAA) said: “Thank you to World Athletics for the recognition and trust in China and Beijing. The CAA will work together with the Beijing organising committee to make every effort to prepare for the championships, ensure that the championships will be held to the highest quality standard, and strive to present a wonderful World Athletics Championships to make more contributions to the development of athletics across the world.”

Zhao Wen, Director of the Beijing Sports Bureau, said: “We thank World Athletics for the trust and support of Beijing. After the 15th World Athletics Championships in 2015, Beijing is honoured to host the 21st World Athletics Championships, the world's highest-level athletics event, in 2027.

“Following the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, Beijing has become the first city in the world to have held both summer and winter Olympics. Sports has given life and vitality to this ancient capital. We are very much looking forward to the World Athletics Family returning to Beijing to feel and experience the charm of the ancient and modern capital. With the guidance and assistance of World Athletics, Beijing will do its best to prepare for the championships and present the world with an extraordinary athletics event.”

The last edition of the World Athletics Championships was held in Budapest in August, while Tokyo will host the 2025 event.